Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Virginia Tech Massacre; Senator Sex Scandal; Illegal Worker Crackdown; Gerri's Top Tips

Aired August 30, 2007 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris. Stay informed all day in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here's what's on the rundown.

Wasted time. A new report says Virginia Tech didn't move fast enough to protect students and staff from a gunman on a rampage.

COLLINS: Iraq got more U.S. troops. Congress demanding progress. Today, a new report says the Iraqi government isn't making the grade.

HARRIS: And almost a million flights delayed this year. A million to date? The government says it is up to flyers to make things run smoother?

It's Thursday, August 30th, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And unfolding this morning, an earlier warning might -- might have saved lives. One conclusion from a new report on the Virginia Tech massacre. Thirty-three people, including the gunman, died. Brianna Keilar joins us from Washington.

Brianna, good to see you this morning. What does the report say specifically about the delay in notifying students before the second set of shootings?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, this report puts the blame for that very much on Virginia Tech police. It says they may have errored in prematurely concluding that their initial lead in the double homicide was a good one. You may recall they believed that the suspect in the first shooting had left the campus.

Of course, that was not right and this report says they were not prepared for that possibility that their initial assumption was inaccurate as it turned out to be. This panel says Virginia Tech police should have immediately had the university issue a campus-wide alert and it ended up taking more than two hours for them to do so.

Tony.

HARRIS: So, Brianna, what does the report tell us about Cho's mental health history?

KEILAR: It details it from a very young age on. It tells us that Seung Hui Cho was not a troubled young man who just appeared out of nowhere when he enrolled at Virginia Tech. It says that his parents and school officials were very aware he had emotional problems from a young age. We're talking elementary school all the way into high school.

This report also says Cho was closely monitored by his parents and those officials until he went to college. The panel found, as Cho went to Virginia Tech, records of his mental problems did not follow him. But even so, the panel points out there were enough red flags at Virginia Tech, we're talking students, professors, residence hall staff, Virginia Tech police, counseling staff, all of them having multiple encounters with Cho but they failed to communicate with each other.

And that's the big question, Tony, why? Well the panel says it's because there was concern. It was an illegal violation of Cho's privacy. But according to the report, that concern was misguided. It would have been perfectly legal for school officials and mental health officials to share information in a potentially dangerous situation.

HARRIS: And, Brianna, any conclusions in this report about Cho's parents?

KEILAR: They really do not face any blame. Especially if you look at the key findings, their names don't even appear. This report details his parents taking a very concerted interests in his obvious problems, looping in school officials.

Now what we do see through this report is how some key choices the Cho made himself prior to college contributed to this tragedy. For instance, before going to Virginia Tech, as he approached his 18th birthday, Cho decided he didn't need therapy anymore. And as a legal adult, that was really his choice.

Also, his high school counselor recommend that he go to a small college near his home, near his parents. They live in a suburb of Washington D.C. This counselor said, don't go to Virginia Tech. It's several hours away. A school that has so many students. More than 20,000 students. Obviously Cho did not take that advice.

HARRIS: Yes. CNN's Brianna Keilar for us in Washington. Brianna, appreciate it. Thank you.

As Brianna just mentioned, the report on the Virginia Tech massacre sheds new light on the gunman's mental history. It says Seung Hui Cho showed problems at an early age. By the time he even reached high school, he was suffering from a condition known as selective mutism. What is that? Well, it is an anxiety disorder characterized by an inability to speak in certain situations. A National Institutes of Health website says it typically occurs in small or social settings. Other symptoms include shyness and a fear of people.

Governor Tim Kaine holds a news conference on the Virginia Tech report. You can see it live right here in the NEWSROOM. That's coming up at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. COLLINS: Parents, check the toy box again. Toys "r" Us is recalling Imaginarium wooden coloring cases. Officials say the box and some of the paints inside contain lead. The sets were made in China. They've been sold across the U.S. since October. No injuries have been reported but, as you know, lead can be dangerous if children can swallow it. Parents can take the coloring cases back for store credit.

HARRIS: Judging progress of the U.S. troop buildup in Iraq. Congressional investigators deliver a classified briefing to lawmakers today. Details already starting to trickle out. The Associated Press says the report finds Iraq's government has failed to meet political and military goals. The Government Accountability Office says it is falling short on at least 13 of 18 benchmarks. A White House assessment of progress in Iraq is due September 15th.

COLLINS: Senator Larry Craig, arrested by police, and now being increasingly abandoned by members of his own party. The latest now from Craig's home state of Idaho. CNN congressional correspondent Dana Bash is in Boise.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL SCHNEIDER, KBOI: An exciting Wednesday. Not so exciting for Larry Craig.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Tune in to Idaho conservative talk radio and it sounds like Larry Craig's days may be numbered.

SCHNEIDER: I really don't think he'll survive this. I think that within the next week to 10 days he will step down.

CHRIS WALTON, KOBI: If you read the police report, which is available online, it is clear that he had intent to do something questionable.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Senator Craig needs to quit being a chump and resign.

BASH: Idaho is a Republican state, steeped in conservative values. But it also has an element of live and let live. On Tuesday, Craig vehemently denied rumors that he is gay.

SEN. LARRY CRAIG, (R) IDAHO: I am not gay. I never have been gay.

BASH: Democrat Nicole LaFavour is the only openly gay member of the Idaho legislature. She says Craig's credibility, not his sexuality, is the issue. And people don't believe Craig's explanation he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct even though he's innocent.

NICOLE LAFAVOUR, IDAHO STATE REPRESENTATIVE: Voters are going to look much more harshly on lying, really, frankly, than anything else. I think his honesty always will be the most important thing to them. It always is. BASH: Privately, influential Idaho Republicans tell CNN they think Craig will be forced to step down. Publicly, they are taking a wait-and-see approach. The Idaho GOP chairman saying, "I would encourage all Idahoans to avoid rushing to judgment and making brash statements about a man who has dedicated his life to public service."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Dana Bash is joining us now live from Boise, Idaho.

Dana, I know that the newspaper there, "The Idaho Statesman," has written a little bit about this. What exactly are they saying?

BASH: Well, the editorial page, Heidi, came out this morning with a biting editorial and saying flatly that the senator should resign. And I'll read you a part of that editorial. "We cannot believe Craig can effectively serve Idaho under the shadow of his guilty plead on a lesser charge of disorderly conduct." We cannot afford, as a state with but four congressional representatives, to have a senator who merely provides fodder for bloggers and late-night talk show hosts." It went on to say, "if Craig wishes to keep his secrets, he may do so as a former U.S. senator."

Now, "The Idaho Statesmen," the local paper here, has become part of the story, of course, Heidi, because Senator Craig went after the paper's reporting side for investigating for six months allegations, rumors that he is gay. He said that was a part of the stress he was under of why he pleaded guilty, even though he says he didn't really mean it. This, of course, is the editorial side and the editorial makes a point, Heidi, to remind its readers that in 2002, the last time Craig was up for reelection, it enthusiastically endorsed Senator Craig's reelection.

COLLINS: Interesting. Really quickly, if we do look ahead, if he does decide to resign, are they talking there about who would step in?

BASH: They are quietly talking about it. This is, of course, a very red state. A very Republican state. The governor is, of course, a Republican. Would almost surely appoint a Republican. You know, because Senator Craig is up for reelection in 2008 and there already were questions about whether or not he would actually run for re- election, there's already heavy jockeying going on inside the Republican world here to figure out who would potential be next. So that would be politically dicey for the governor, but the current lieutenant governor here in the state of Idaho is perhaps the front- runner as of this moment.

COLLINS: Well, we know that you'll share those names with us as soon as you can.

Dana Bash, thanks so much, live from Boise, Idaho, this morning.

Rob Marciano live now with us in the studio.

Hi there, Rob. (WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Building down. Blown to smithereens. Blame it on Batman. Hey, look, no need to call Police Commissioner Gordon, though. The parking garage at an old candy factory was destroyed for a stunt for the film. The Chicago building had been converted into a Gotham Hospital for the new Batman movie. "The Dark Knight" is due out next summer.

COLLINS: He's taking on fellow Republicans. Presidential candidate John McCain speaking out against Senator Warner's plans for Iraq and suggesting Senator Craig hit the road.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jeanne Meserve in Washington.

The administration puts the hammer down on employers who hire illegal aliens. That story coming up in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Heads-up holiday flyers. It could be another weekend of frustrating delays. We are live at LaGuardia in New York City, with a cure for congestion.

COLLINS: There's no stalling the bathroom humor. Senator sex scandal. Late-night comics and web wits take their best shots. We'll have them here too, coming up in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: A new crackdown on illegal immigrants. It comes with the tough warning to employers. CNN homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve live from Washington now.

Jeanne, good to see you. What can you tell us about these letters?

MESERVE: Well, Tony, they're called no-match letters. They alert an employer when a worker's name and Social Security number do not match government records. The Social Security Administration has been sending them out for year and they were often ignored. But starting next week, enclosed with no-match letters, a letter from the Department of Homeland Security, which says in part, "if you elect to disregard the notice and if it is determined that some employees were not authorized to work, the Department of Homeland Security could determine that you have violated the law by knowingly continuing to employ unauthorized persons. This could lead to civil and criminal actions."

Employers have 90 days after getting the letters to clear up discrepancies. If they can't, they have to fire the employees. The first letters go out next week. By mid-November, 140,000 will be sent. The administration has said that jobs are the magnet that draw illegal immigrants to this country. This new rule is meant to discourage them from crossing the border.

HARRIS: Wow. So, Jeanne, I can imagine a lot of folks are pretty unhappy about this. Are they taking any kind of legal action?

MESERVE: Employer are unhappy about it. And yesterday a coalition of labor and immigration rights groups filed a lawsuit. They say Social Security databases are notoriously incomplete and inaccurate and that the new rules will cause massive discrimination against anyone who looks or sounds foreign. They accuse DHS of trying to hijack the Social Security system for improper immigration enforcement. The Department of Homeland Security says the lawsuit is without merit and they will fight it vigorously.

Tony.

HARRIS: OK. Our CNN homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve for us this morning.

Jeanne, thanks.

MESERVE: You bet.

COLLINS: Funny man on the big screen turns serious on your computer screen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM CARREY, ACTOR: I want to tell you about a hero of mine. Her name is Unsung Suchi (ph).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Jim Carrey joins the fight to free a Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Gerri Willis.

Labor Day is Monday. How to keep your home safe if you're planning to go away, next on "Top Tips" in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: OK. We're checking out the big board and we have a minus sign there, down 31. It's only 31. But, of course, it's only 10:21 Eastern Time. So there is time, but I'm going to remain positive on this.

HARRIS: There you go.

COLLINS: Yesterday, hey, look at that story. It was up -- it closed up, I should say, 247. So that's good. But if you look back a day prior to that, it was down just about the same amount. Still quite a yo-yo there. We'll be watching these numbers, as well as the Nasdaq and S&P. Both are down today.

HARRIS: So Labor Day weekend right around the corner. Is your home safe while you're away? Good question. Here with some tips, CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis.

Gerri, good morning. Good to see you.

WILLIS: Good to see you. You know, Tony . . .

HARRIS: You know what my instinct is here?

WILLIS: What?

HARRIS: My instinct, all right, I'm going to go away for a long time. I want to build a fortress. I want to build high walls. I want the max security system with 24-hour monitoring. Take some simple steps, huh?

WILLIS: It's not that expensive and it's not that hard. However, you need a few minutes before you get out the door, OK?

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

WILLIS: First off, make sure you cut those shrubs below window level and trim the trees away from the house. Look, if your windows are obscured, it's an open invitation for thieves. Put a metal rod in the track or add a bolt lock to those sliding glass doors, if you have those.

And, you know what, this is something people don't think about. Unplug your automatic garage door opener on the way out. Burglars can break the code. And don't leave tools outside. You know, the hammer. You know, something that the thieves can use to break into your house.

HARRIS: Well, let's be real simple about this. Be sure to lock the doors, right? Lock the doors.

WILLIS: Hey, you have no idea how many burglars get in through open doors and windows. It's ridiculous.

COLLINS: OK. All right. Now I love this next tip, but I'm not sure exactly what it means. You tell us to maintain your presence, but wait a minute, I'm gone. How do I do that?

WILLIS: You've got to fool the thieves. We're fooling the thieves here. Make sure your home looks live in. Set timers that will turn off you lights off and on while you're not there. And you may want to have a neighbor park in your driveway. That's always a good idea. If you have a home security system, call the company, say, hey, we're going to be away, because most companies will pay more attention if they know somebody's not at home.

HARRIS: Right. I think understand this next tip because, you know, we watch "Open House," protect the guts of your home.

WILLIS: That's right. If you're going to be away for a while, you want to shut off the water supply to the washing machine, the ice maker, the toilets, the sinks. You don't want to leave appliances like the washing machine or dish washer running, obviously. And unplug the smaller items, like the toaster, the microwave, the TV. Hey, and is the sump pump working? You should check it. You never know what the forecast holds and that's one of the big reasons that people's homes get flooded, is the sump pump doesn't work.

HARRIS: Now why should I be concerned about safeguarding my identity while I've got everything with me?

WILLIS: Got a mailbox?

HARRIS: Good point. Good point.

WILLIS: Yes. Yes. You know, identity thieves will go through your unopened mail, grab those credit card solicitations, the bills, to get your private information. Get a neighbor to collect your mail or, better yet, have the post office hold it. And keep those documents safe. Lock up any bank account statements or anything else that's sensitive inside the house. Also, disconnect the computer from the Internet. You don't want thieves hacking into your accounts while you're gone.

HARRIS: Gosh, I'm glad you -- I got to remember all this stuff. I didn't even think about the whole computer and Internet and everything else.

Hey, are you going for leave for the weekend? And if you do, are you going to leave us with an "Open House" show?

WILLIS: We've got an "Open House" show, let me tell you. And it's a good one. We're going to talk to you a little bit more about the mortgage meltdown. We'll also give your college freshmen a crash course on finances. Plus, how to get the best flat-panel TV for the money.

HARRIS: I need that. Come on, football season is coming.

WILLIS: That's right.

HARRIS: Football season. Come on.

WILLIS: That's right.

HARRIS: The NFL package.

Gerri, great to see you. Have a great weekend.

WILLIS: Thank you, sir. You too.

HARRIS: OK.

COLLINS: Virginia Tech investigators go public with their findings. School officials sharply criticized for their handling of the mass shooting. Virginia's governor is live in the NEWSROOM 11:00 Eastern.

HARRIS: And Iraq's leaders under pressure to meet U.S. benchmarks. Congress gets a new report today on their progress and it is not good.

GREG HUNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Greg Hunter here at LaGuardia Airport. And we're going to take a look at how the government is ignoring ways to cut back on flight cancellations and delays. Their critics are saying they could do something very simple and they're not doing it, when NEWSROOM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Bottom of the hour. Welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.

COLLINS: Hi there, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.

A new report out this morning on the Virginia Tech massacre. One conclusion, more timely warnings might have saved lives. The report says university officials should have alerted students and staff after two students were found dead in a dormitory. The gunman later killed another 30 people before taking his own life. Virginia's governor appointed the panel that wrote the report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM KAINE, VIRGINIA: With respect to the notification, there was not a notice sent out to the campus community for nearly two hours. The report points out that that was a clear error. That the protocol for making a decision about how a notice would be sent out was to cumbersome. That under normal circumstances it might have been fine, but under an urgent circumstance it took too long.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The report details gunmen Seung Hui Cho's long history of mental health issues, including an anxiety disorder called selective mutism. It is characterized by an inability to speak in social settings. We're going to be hearing more from Governor Kaine in a news conference that's coming your way next hour.

HOLMES: The Pentagon's five sides, President Bush to get more than one angle on Iraq's progress next month. CNN's Jamie McIntyre reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: First off, the Pentagon says there will be no written report from General David Petraeus next month, only Petraeus reporting his assessment directly to Congress and the President.

GEOFF MORRELL, PENTAGON SPOKESMAN: I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for printed material from this building, as I understand it.

MCINTYRE: Defense Secretary Gates is concerned that formal reports which aim for consensus end up watered down by bureaucratic massaging, so he's arranged for Mr. Bush, the decider to get at least five separate Pentagon opinions -- from gates himself, General Petraeus. CENTCOM Commander Admiral William Fallon, outgoing Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace and the new Chairman Mike Mullen, as well as the entire joint chiefs of staff. MORRELL: The Secretary is determined that each of these people will be able to present their advice directly and in an unvarnished way so that the President will be getting each person's individual assessment on where we are and where we should be going.

MCINTYRE: That's why the Pentagon says a report the White House will ask for $50 billion to fund the surge is premature. It all depends on how long Mr. Bush decides the surge should last and when troop cuts should begin. Defense Secretary Gates reportedly expressed surprise at the front-page Washington Post report.

MORRELL: He picked up the paper this morning and said, that's news to me.

MCINTYRE: But the $50 billion figure is not out of the line if the surge continues full strength until April. Already the Pentagon is trumpeting the strategy for a drop in U.S. casualties in July and August.

MORRELL: And, thankfully, American men and women in uniform there are -- right now the beneficiaries of a slightly safer environment, thanks to the surge.

MCINTYRE: While General Petraeus won't be issuing a formal report, there will be no shortage of reading material in September. In addition to an independent review of Iraqi forces, the White House and the government accountability office will issue competing reports on Iraqi benchmarks and while the GAO will be looking to see if the benchmarks have been met, the White House will simply be looking for satisfactory progress. Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: This just in now to CNN, according to the Associated Press, the situation with the South Korean hostages, the Christian aid workers, there were 19 to begin with that were being held by the Taliban I should say, today we are now learning again from the Associated Press, four more of those hostages have been freed by the militants. That means three still remain.

Just yesterday you may remember the video that we are looking at now some file video coming in to us of the 12 other hostages that were released. So once again, the new information this morning, four more of the South Korean hostages have been freed by the Taliban. That leaves three more still under -- pardon me here, I'm getting more information --.

Apparently they are being scheduled to be released as well, the three that remain, just not sure exactly when that is going to be happening, but we of course will stay on top of it. You see the video here, what usually happens when they are released or what we have seen in the past days is that they're handed over to the International Red Cross, so obviously you see those vehicles there.

Once again, four have been released, two men, two women, they are now in the hands of the International Red Cross. We'll follow that story as it develops here of course.

Meanwhile though, you have felt it yourself, in fact it seems like an epidemic, airport delays setting records from security lines to runway backups. So, if your Labor Day plans include flying, get ready to wait. Our Greg Hunter is joining us from LaGuardia Airport in New York. Hey there, Greg. Any real hope for reducing delays?

GREG HUNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The short straight answer, Heidi, no. Everybody agrees that the delay/cancellation problem at airports across the country, is a multifaceted complicated problem, but there is one group out there criticizing the government, saying that they had ignored a simple solution that could alleviate the problems for years.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

HUNTER: How many times have you seen this, while waiting to fly? At New York's LaGuardia Airport, for example, there are just two runways for more than 1,000 flights a day in June. That means a plane is taking off or landing every two minutes. Lack of runway space is a nationwide problem, according to Barrett Byrnes, President of The Air Traffic Controllers Association. Your group asked the government to start building runways 10 years ago.

BARRETT BYRNES, PRESIDENT, ATCA: Correct, and we asked them to build 50 miles of runway per year just to keep up with the potential demand that we're seeing right now.

HUNTER: Did they do it?

BYRNES: No, they didn't.

HUNTER: One that did, Atlanta's airport, the busiest airport in the country added a fifth runway last year. And, officials say takeoff delayed dropped by 78 percent. The FAA says it expects some relief with a new multi-billion dollar program called NextGen.

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: NextGen is about the development of a satellite based 21st century air transportation system.

HUNTER: It's designed to give pilots more information that allows them to safely fly closer to each other, making air traffic more efficient, but it won't start until 2013. Meanwhile, the FAA says it plans to redesign airspace in the busiest part of the world, New York City, hoping to reduce delays by 25 percent. Byrnes says that just won't fix the real problem.

BYRNES: Kennedy (ph) LaGuardia, and Newark are at 100 percent capacity right now, and that's why you're seeing three-hour delays on a consistent basis.

HUNTER: Because of the runways.

BYRNES: Not enough runways, not enough places to put these airplanes. HUNTER: The FAA disagrees and tells CNN it's NextGen plant will be able to handle two to three times the traffic that they are currently handling.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTER: So what does two to three times mean to an airport such as LaGuardia Airport where right now, as I said in the story, they have 1,000 flights a day, that's landings and takeoffs, that's a landing or takeoff every two minutes. Double that, and that's 2,000 landings and takeoffs every day. That's one a minute -- a landing or a takeoff.

Triple that, and that's 3,000 landings and takeoffs a day. That's a landing and takeoff every 40 seconds. And, the people that I have talked to that are criticizing the government -- the tower controllers say that's not only tight, it's impossible, because the system is maxed out. Tony, Heidi?

COLLINS: All right, Greg, that's for sure, capacity at an all- time high. I think I'm riding my bike.

HOLMES: Bigger planes.

COLLINS: Thank you, sir. See you soon.

HOLMES: John McCain speaks out, defending his age and calling for Senator Larry Craig's resignation. Our John King interviewed the Republican presidential candidate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Flashback 40 years, Lieutenant Commander John McCain under interrogation by the North Vietnamese.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is your rank in the army?

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN,(R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Lieutenant Commander in the Navy.

KING: This new video is part of an effort to revive Mccain's struggling presidential campaign, and in this interview with CNN, he was blunt about several pressing political challenges including the scandal enveloping a Senate colleague.

Should Larry Craig stay in Idaho and resign his job, and let the Republican governor send someone to replace him?

MCCAIN: Yes.

KING: You believe he should not return under any circumstances?

MCCAIN: I believe that he pled guilty, and he had the opportunity to plead innocent, so I think he should resign. And, that's not a moral stand, that's not a holier than thou, it's just a factual situation. I don't try to judge people, but in this case, it's clear that it was disgraceful.

KING: A very good friend of yours and good Republican colleague, John Warner, now says the President should make a down payment on drawing down troops and perhaps 5,000 or so by Christmas. One, to show the American people we're not there indefinitely, and two to show the Iraqi government we're not there indefinitely. Is that a good idea?

MCCAIN: It's a bad idea, terrible idea, and I'll fight it every step of the way. John Warner and I are very close friends, but that sends the signal to al Qaeda and the bad people in the neighboring -- in the region that we're leaving. That's not our position. Our position is we're going to succeed, and the strategy -- present strategy is succeeding.

KING: He has slipped significantly in the polls, and his campaign is struggling to raise money, but on his 71st birthday, the senator voiced confidence he will turn it all around.

How does a man who is 71-years-old, would be the oldest president to take office, even older than Ronald Regan, convince the country that you are fit and ready to serve, and that someone of your generation, and your age is the change they want and need?

MCCAIN: Well, because the people in this country want experience, they want knowledge, and they want leadership. And I've been involved in that all my life. I'm the most prepared to take on the transcendent challenge, of the 21st century and that is radical Islamic extremism. I need no on-the-job training.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: And a clearly chastened Senator McCain said, quote, "We got the message when it comes to immigration." Just weeks ago he was the architect of legislation that would give legal status to millions who entered the United States illegally. But, conservative opposition not only killed the legislation, but also significantly hurt the McCain presidential campaign, and the senator now tells us he believes improve border security first before trying anything else.

John King, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And this reminder, send in your questions for the Republican candidates to CNN.com/youtubedebate. That event is coming your way this fall.

COLLINS: Here we go again, spinach being pulled from stores. We'll tell you what you need to pull out of your fridge coming up in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: We want to show you some new video into CNN a short time ago. Take a look at this. Wow, you get a sense of the scope now from that wider shot from the helicopter pilot there. A huge fire burning bales of hay, Heidi, stack upon stack, on this farm there. That I was thinking. Here it goes, up in smoke. There go the profits. Call the insurance adjuster. This is in Chester County, Pennsylvania at the Kaelin (ph) Mushroom Farm. That fire broke out about 5:15 a.m. Eastern Time, so this has been going on for quite a while now, and you see they're trying to build a barrier here. Let's stop it here so it doesn't continue to spread.

COLLINS: That's got to be awfully dry there.

HARRIS: Absolutely. So just a picture that we wanted to share with you. We'll continue to watch it. But you're right, money going up in smoke there for that farm, the Kaelin Mushroom Farm there in Chester County, Pennsylvania.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

HARRIS: And still to come this morning, the reality of rebuilding after the storm -- Waveland, Mississippi, ghost town two years after Hurricane Katrina.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: A senator's sex scandal is giving TV and Web humorists plenty of material.

CNN's Jeanne Moos takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's hard to hear this.

SEN. LARRY CRAIG (R), IDAHO: I am not gay. I never have been gay.

MOOS: Without being reminded of this.

JAMES MCGREEVEY, FORMER GOVERNOR OF NEW JERSEY: I am a gay American.

MOOS: The Craig affair has sure led to a lot of late-night gayety like Jimmy Kimmel's unintentional joke of the day.

CRAIG: Thank you very much for coming out today.

JAY LENO: We have a clip of the press conference. Show the press conference.

CRAIG: Thank you all very much for coming out today.

MOOS: Never have the nation's newscasts spent more time, literally, in the toilet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's with the hand signals?

MOOS: But there's something about the toe tapping part of all this that media folks can't resist tapping into.

You expect it on You Tube.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After 16 hours he started with the foot tap.

MOOS: On a TV station in Sacramento did its own recreation of the Craig men's room incident and the colleague even provided a homemade stall divider.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The senator allegedly started tapping his foot like this. Apparently that's a sign they're interested in having relations.

MOOS: If it's high quality production you're after, check out the recreation at the website Slate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was able to see Craig's blue eyes as he looked into my stall.

MOOS: Slate used verbatim quotes from the arresting officer's reports.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Craig moved his right foot so that it touched the side of my left foot which was within my stall area. At 12:17 hours, I saw Craig swipe his hand under the stall divider for a few seconds.

MOOS: And a You Tuber posted this guide to men's room signals.

Senator Craig denies anything rude took place allegedly tells police his wide stance explains his foot placement. The scandal is generating plays on words and puns. It's causing commentators to tell personal stories you'd never expect.

MSNBC's Tucker Carlson described how he was once bothered in a men's room.

TUCKER CARLSON, MSNBC: I went back with someone I knew and grabbed the guy by the -- and grabbed him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And did what?

CARLSON: Hit him against the stall with his head, actually.

MOOS: Carlson later said the man physically grabbed him first.

It's almost too hot a story for reporters to handle.

Comedians to the rescue.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tappy, tappy on the tootsie. A little peek a boo through the crack in the door. Hell, I can't keep up with all them signals. When I want to get some I just go down to the bar and wait for the first woman to fall off the stool and tell her hair looks nice.

MOOS: At least that won't get a senator arrested.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Heidi, you want to say anything?

COLLINS: I do not.

HARRIS: OK, all righty.

COLLINS: Just do that map right there.

HARRIS: Phoenix blistered by a new heat record, 29 days at 110 or higher. Remember, it's dry heat.

COLLINS: It is.

HARRIS: That's what we're told all the time.

COLLINS: Makes all the difference in the world.

HARRIS: Live from the CNN weather center, shortly.

COLLINS: A heavy mass of sweaty, sticky humans. This will definitely help you to stay tuned, right? We're going to show you more of it, so stick around. We're making ketchup in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, could quicker action have saved lives? A new report on the Virginia Tech massacre.

HARRIS: Iraq's government failing to meet benchmarks, details emerging from a classified congressional report.

COLLINS: Waveland, Mississippi, Ground Zero for Hurricane Katrina, the small community bore the brunt of the storm. Two years later, what's changed in Waveland?

CNN's Anderson Cooper reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): In the week after Hurricane Katrina struck, Waveland, Mississippi, was a wasteland. Dead bodies lay in the streets for days. Many of those who managed to survive the storm lost everything.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's my chair.

COOPER: Bill and Myrtle Kearney live near the water. Their home was destroyed, but even in the face of so much loss, they try to maintain a sense of humor.

(on camera): You vacuumed your house?

ANN MYRTLE KEARNEY, HURRICANE VICTIM: I vacuumed my house to the moon so that when we came back, we would have a pleasant environment to come back in.

COOPER (voice-over): Now, two years later, when I catch up with Bill and Myrtle, a concrete slab is still all that remains of their home.

A. KEARNEY: Welcome, welcome to our home.

COOPER: Their sense of humor is still intact, but their optimism is gone.

A. KEARNEY: Look around you, look, there's no community left. That's the big deal to me.

COOPER: The Kearneys say they'd hoped to be back in their home by now, but high building costs and a shortage of labor have made rebuilding a distant dream.

In Waveland, there are signs of progress, homes and businesses coming back, a new playground, but no children are in sight. Only about 60 percent of residents have returned. City hall is still in a trailer park. This is a place frozen in time.

(on camera): You see these slabs of concrete everywhere in Waveland. It's the foundation of what was once somebody's home. Two years after the storm struck, the residents here say they still want to rebuild, they still hope to rebuild, but they're facing an awful lot of hurdles. The biggest battle, say residents, is dealing with insurance companies, which they thought were there for their protection.

ELLEN BREATH, HURRICANE VICTIM: Dealing with the insurance company has been worse than losing the house, I think. It has just been a nightmare.

COOPER (voice-over): Ellen and Chuck Breath lost their family home of five generations in Bay St. Louis. They want to rebuild, but the insurance premium would now be more than five times what they paid before. The Breaths also lost two commercial properties here in nearby Waveland.

State Farm insured them for wind damage, but said the destruction was caused by flooding, so they weren't covered. After two years of fighting, the Breaths say they gave up, settling for less than 50 percent of what they believe they were owed.

CHUCK BREATH, HURRICANE VICTIM: They didn't have to sue us in order to get their premium. We paid it. I think they should have turned around and done the same thing.

COOPER: State Farm spokesman insists the company has served its clients well. JONATHAN FREED, STATE FARM NATIONAL SPOKESMAN: This storm was so out of whack for so many people that in some cases, a vast minority of cases, it sometimes takes a little longer to really get down to what the root causes of damage was in different cases.

COOPER: The mayor of Waveland, Tommy Longo says what the insurance companies are doing is a sin.

MAYOR TOMMY LONGO, WAVELAND, MISSISSIPPI: When you see a family that has paid insurance premiums for 50 years, never had a claim, lose everything that they've had in their life and told they don't recover a nickel, something's wrong.

COOPER: The Breaths do plan to rebuild. So do Bill and Myrtle Kearney. But like so many Gulf Coast residents stuck in this waiting game, for now, all they have is a slab to call home.

Anderson Cooper, CNN, Waveland, Mississippi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And good morning again, everyone. You're with CNN, you're informed.

I'm Tony Harris.

COLLINS: Hi there, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.

Developments keep coming into the CNN NEWSROOM on Thursday, the 30th of August. Here's what's on the rundown.

Virginia's governor, live this hour on the Virginia Tech shooting massacre. His investigative panel out with critical conclusions today.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com